


Tickle The Ivories

by Mixolydia



Series: 'Til Death Do Us Part [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Beautiful, Fitting a 7 foot piano into a house somehow, Fluff, Gaster just wanted a piano, Good W. D. Gaster, I'd love a piano, M/M, Memory (Undertale OST), Music, Piano, Short, Steinway, Steinway piano, Tea, The Past, Undyne broke the old piano, Wordcount: 500-1.000, because it's Undyne, dribble, fancy piano, good ol' fluff, grand piano, i'm getting better at writing fluff without the angst, impulse buy, ivory - Freeform, piano music is great, piano playing, playing music, soothing, the STATUE, what do you expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 07:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15238632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mixolydia/pseuds/Mixolydia
Summary: “You know what I’ve always wanted?” Gaster said one day at the breakfast table.“…What’s that, Gaster?” Grillby asked.“A piano!”





	Tickle The Ivories

“You know what I’ve always wanted?” Gaster said one day at the breakfast table.

“…What’s that, Gaster?” Grillby asked.

“A piano!”

* * *

 

Standing inside of the music shop, Grillby couldn’t help but be in awe of all the instruments around him. Just by looking around he could see guitars in various sizes and colours, a rather beautiful display of saxophones and, if Grillby wasn’t mistaken, there was even a ukulele or two hanging on the wall. Grillby stopped to admire the saxophones as Gaster was elsewhere in the shop.

Gaster was wandering around the piano section with the sales adviser, glancing around. He wasn’t sure what kind of piano he was after. He didn’t want an electric keyboard, as that wasn’t classical enough for him and he didn’t want a small piano because that wasn’t grand enough for him. He absently ran a hand over the top of a piano as they passed by it when he spotted it sitting in the corner.

Eyesockets wide in surprise, he headed over to the piano that had caught his eye. Finished in a beautiful ivory white, the white of the keys seemed to glisten as the sun shone through the shop window. Gaster guessed that the piano had to be almost 7 feet long and was finished with tiny golden wheels and pedals that sat underneath. The seat of the piano was also ivory white and had a black leather cushion. He gently ran his fingers over the piano as he circled around it. The sales adviser looked pleased with Gaster’s choice.

“Ah, yes. This is a Steinway B-211 Grand Piano. She’s around 5 feet wide and 7 feet long and people often refer to her as the perfect piano because she’s suited to both private sessions and concerts alike.”

Grillby had wandered over when he’d heard the sales sdvisor start to speak.

“She’s also suited to those advanced in the ways of piano playing or for those looking to get back into playing. She’s quite the beauty isn’t she?”

Gaster could only nod and then looked up when Grillby came to stand beside him.

"Would you like to try her out?"

Gaster nodded and gingerly sat down on the seat. He ran his fingers up and down the keys before resting his fingers in place. A simple melody resounded from the piano as he began to play, a nursery rhyme by the name of  _Frère Jacques,_ if Grillby remembered correctly, and Gaster looked like he was about to tear up right there and then. He repeated the melody a couple of times before looking up at Grillby. 

“Oh Grillby… I think I’ve found it. She’s prefect.”

Grillby nodded; then frowned.

“…How the hell are we going to get her through the front door?”

* * *

 

Turned out that they couldn’t get her though the front door, nor could Sans and Gaster teleport her in; her size was just too big for them to be able to move. They ended up having to bring her in through the back patio doors (which were the only doors big enough) before she was gently lifted up and maneuvered by the combined magic of Gaster and both his sons into the space in the front room where she was going to sit. It was a bit of a tax on their magic, but it was better than having to remove a window or two.

After thanking Sans, Papryus and the delivery men for their help, they left and Gaster took a seat at the grand piano. He ran his fingers over the keys, gently pressing down and listening as the notes rang through the air.

“Where did you learn you play, anyways?” Grillby said as he came into the room, two cups of tea in hand.

“I… I learnt a long, long time ago, from my parents before they fell down. I… I had a piano in the underground, you know. One of those upright pianos; found it in the dump, battered and broken. I spent so much time fixing it back up. It wasn’t perfect and ways always slightly out of tune, but it sat in the corner of the living room and the three of us would sit and play old tunes I knew. Well, until Undyne accidently broke it one day and I had to get rid of it. Interestingly enough, there was this statue in waterfall that played a tune if you gave it an umbrella. I never knew what the tune was for, but I thought it was beautiful. Here, let’s see if I can…”

Gaster ran a finger down the keys until he found the first note that he needed. He began to play and, although rusty at first, soon got back into the swing of things. Grillby could’ve sworn he’d heard this before as he placed Gaster’s cup of tea on a nearby table before sipping his own. He smiled as Gaster’s fingers swept over the keys as years of playing flooded back into the skeleton.

“That was beautiful…” Grillby smiled as Gaster stopped playing.

“Thank you, my dear.” Gaster bowed “You know, I have a few more stored up in my head if you’d like to hear them.”

“I’d love to.”

And so Gaster played into the night as Grillby listened, cups of tea set aside and forgotten.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'd absolutely love to own a grand piano one day... sadly, I haven't got £75k to my name to do so. :v
> 
> Edit: Purple_Broccoli was kind enough to point out that you don't just _buy_ a Steinway without trying it first so I stuck a lil' paragraph in there. xD 
> 
> I actually tried playing Frère Jacques on the piano in Undertale but there wasn't enough variety in the notes, sadly.


End file.
